Malaysia Beer Festival Cancelled Following Protests from Islamic Party

Malaysia looks to be on the path to fully abide by Islamic code (Sharia law) as it just cancelled the Better Beer Festival 2017 following protests from Islamists, including the Pan-Malaysian Islamic party (PAS). The sixth edition of the annual Better Beer Festival 2017 was set to take place in Kuala Lumpur in October, being probably inspired from Germany’s Oktoberfest (we can also expect Oktoberfest to be cancelled in the near future).

Malaysian authorities cited security concerns following complaints from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic party (PAS) and various Islamic leaders, hence the organizers were denied the permit by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) due to Better Beer Festival 2017’s political sensitivity. The organizers of the Better Beer Festival 2017 (MyBeer) issued a public statement which reads:

“At our meeting with DBKL officials, we were instructed to cancel our event as there are issues with the licensing. We were further informed that the decision was made due to the political sensitivity surrounding the event.”

According to a Pan-Malaysian Islamic party member talking to Reuters, such event (a beer festival, nota bene) would lead to criminal acts, rape and free sex, as the Malaysian police would not be able to ensure proper security, thus Kuala Lumpur would be transformed into the largest vice center in Asia, something along the lines of an Eastern Sodom (or Gomorrah).

“It is something that is shameful for an Islamic country like Malaysia,”

said Riduan Mohd Nor during an interview for The Telegraph. It’s true that Malaysia is currently enforcing laws which promote the Islamic code among its Muslim population, laws which prohibit alcohol consumption among other things. However, not all Malaysians are Muslims, at least not yet, hence the Chinese or Indonesian minorities do not have to abide the Islamic code (Sharia law). According to the Telegraph article, the cancellation of the Better Beer Festival 2017 is, let me quote:

[the] latest sign of creeping [Islamic] conservatism in Malaysia, where about 60% of more than 30 million inhabitants are Muslim.”

“The country practices a moderate version of Sunni Islam, but in recent years has seen a rise of vocal Islamist groups that has led to fears of an erosion in tolerance towards minorities.